


The Mouth of Time

by bedb



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spartacus - Fandom, Winter Soldier - Fandom
Genre: Death, F/M, M/M, Murder, Other, Prison Sex, Science Fiction, Violence, shape shifting Loki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-09
Updated: 2015-08-04
Packaged: 2018-04-03 14:40:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4104571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bedb/pseuds/bedb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bucky is taken captive by slavers looking for a gladiator to fight  at the ends of time. The Avengers pull out all stops  to try and find him.  yeah, it was influenced by gladiator and Spartacus but let's see if we can make it more interesting without killing off our lead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. the hunters

The hunter was a chameleon blending into whatever society he inhabited at the time. Earth was a rich hunting ground for slaves destined to be sold to the brothels of Napolius, run away males and females young and attractive. They didn’t last long, but Earth was a rich hunting ground for this type of prey, and they were easily replaced. Easy to catch, easy to sell but there was a glut in the market, and sex slaves were not fetching a lot of money right now. 

Needing to keep his income up and profits at a maximum, he decided it was time to move against a target he had been watching for a couple of years. There were a number of interesting humans on earth, humans with interesting powers or skills that would make them valuable in the games, but he wasn’t in the mood to do too much reconditioning. With his assistant, another hunter named Decca, he followed and studied his target more closely now. 

“He has a female,” Decca observed one afternoon. “Do we take her as well?”

The hunter considered the human female and decided against it. She was too old for the sex shows in Napolius, and if he remembered correctly, she would be too much trouble in her own rights. They could use her to control him during the initial take down, but taking her along would lead to him trying to protect her or conspire with her, and if they separated them, they would spend all their time trying to reunite. No best to leave her behind. 

It didn’t take the hunter long to see that they were a true mated pair, the intimacy of their interactions going beyond courtship rituals. She would try to protect him. Even if he showed his true face to her, she would not abandon her mate. 

With the transferal flux beginning its descent, he had to act fairly quickly or wait another sixty days on Earth before it reappeared. He would just have to risk taking the male with his female at hand. Decca could contain her. 

Waiting until the darkest shadows of night were upon a city whose very existence illuminated the sky, the hunter watched from the grounds around the massive building that was guarded by an artificial intelligence known as Jarvis. Jarvis sensed heat and movement or cold and energy, but the hunter neither gave off heat nor moved in a true sense of movement. He simply imagined himself somewhere and he was there. Tonight he imagined himself and his man Decca to be in a room where a man and woman made love in the velvet darkness of passion.

She sensed his presence first and pushed her lover away, but Decca moved so quickly against her that she had no time to prepare herself. Using a disk that stole the energy from the brain, Decca slammed it against her neck. The shock of it paralyzed her right side. Her lover, wild with rage, attacked Decca, but the hunter was ready. Moving with thought he was upon the man and slamming the device into the back of his neck. Paralyzed the man fell across his bed, his lover trying to free herself from the devise that made movement all but impossible and speech pointless. She watched in horror as a creature out of nightmares lifted her lover across his shoulders and vanished.

 

In a place where time flowed like a current of water in the ocean, the hunter stopped to prepare his prize for transportation. The neck clamp simulated a broken neck making movement below the devise impossible and a cock so hard as to be painful if he could but feel it. It did not keep the rage out of his prize’s eye. The winter soldier, known about for a dozen years, was worth a thousand sex slaves and dozens of ordinary gladiators. 

Taking a collar that could be operated manually and automatically, the hunter placed it around the Winter Soldier’s neck before releasing the controlling device. As expected the Soldier attacked him, but the collar stunned the warrior back into docility. The hunter clucked his amusement and readied a mouthpiece that would further control the Soldier’s belligerence. The Soldier fought the piece but in the end he had no choice but to accept it pressing on his tongue and threatening his tender lips.

The cuffs that held his wrists together and forced his elbows into bonds were designed to withstand creatures even stronger than the Winter Soldier. Once his glaring eyed prize was ready to move, the hunter yanked him to his feet by the metal bonds that controlled his arms.

 

Bucky felt time move around him like waves of water or thick air, the sun or what he thought was a sun passing swiftly overhead. At one point on the journey he thought he was on the deck of a ship lying on wooden planks gazing up at sails of iridescent light changing shades of blue, pink and yellow.

Every few hours one of the hunters would arrive to see about him, to give him water or something that slipped past the bit and gave him nutrition. The creature that had taken him from Natasha’s side was fascinated with the metal arm but only as it was used as a weapon. He was certain his arm increased his value to these creatures.

Once he was allowed to gaze out at the ocean they were flying over, because they were literally sailing above the water. He wanted to ask why the sun never set, where were they going, what was going to happen to him, but the bit was never removed from his mouth, and when the creatures needed rest they simply paralyzed him. He could sleep or stare at the sky that was his only choice.

At the end of the voyage they arrived at a city of crystal with streets of crushed glass or diamonds. The hunter and his man separated from the others and led their prize alone past a dock of shifting colors and reality. For the Winter Soldier reality was becoming a distant thought as things he thought were real proved to be not.

They came to a gate at the end of the road, a gate of gold so bright it hurt his eyes. The hunter ran his hand over the face of pure white light sending a stuttering blue light quivering in its place. Once the blue completely obliterated the white, the hunters and their prize passed through it.

Steve found Natasha in near panic in her private quarters and freed her of the device that held her immobile. Unable to follow her lover she ran up to his rooms to see if maybe this was but a nightmare inflicted on her by some evil jinn. He was gone! James was gone! The thing had taken him! Rage and fear consumed her, fed by the hopelessness of her position. Unable to hold back the black pain that consumed her, she screamed until Hawkeye grabbed her and held her tight in his arms.

When she could speak and tell them what she had witnessed, these strongest of men listened in horror as she spoke of a creature shaped like a man but without face or true form, his limbs shifting from hand and leg to tentacle and pod. The one who had held her was even less human, its head shaped like a thing of nightmares, its eyes large and soulless. 

Tony ran surveillance and could find no natural breach of their defenses. Nor could he find any energy signature that could explain how these creatures got away with Bucky. But they had! Calling Bruce to his side, they went to looking for a solution to this problem.

 

The journey ended at the edge of time itself on a planet that was neither here nor there. The hunters presented their captive before a tribunal of beings who ran their hands over his shoulders and breast, over the metal arm in wonder and lower. The fire in his eyes was noted with approval, the strength of his body was judged superior, the coin offered for his purchase phenomenal. 

Bucky realized in short time he was being purchased by men to fight in a Rome that was never conquered, never ended, the Rome of fantasy and nightmare. The hunters took their money and left the Winter Soldier in a land that never knew winter or nightfall seeing only twilight as the sun dropped low on the horizon. 

Bucky watched and waited for what was coming next. Three men, powerful men attached a leash to the collar around his neck. The training had begun.


	2. Taming the Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky tries to fight back

Tony looked at the plain silver disc and couldn’t find anything about it that could make it paralyze Natasha the way it had. Bruce, silently watching Tony turn it over and over in his hand, knew it was a bad idea when Tony slammed it against the back of his neck and Iron Man went down like Iron Rock, slamming into everything on his way to the floor.

“Ouch,” he moaned as Bruce ran to remove the immobilizer from his neck. Although he couldn’t move anything from the device downwards, he stopped Bruce from removing it too quickly. “How is it working?” he asked hoarsely. Bruce gently lifted Tony into his arms and studied the disc clinging to his neck. 

“I don’t see how it’s staying attached,” he awkwardly confessed. Laying Tony gently on the floor, he jumped up and grabbed one of the hand sensors off the table. Making sure it was also recording, he lifted Tony back into his arms and managed to get a reading on the device. 

“Hey, is that my dick?” Tony asked incredulously as he gazed down at the swelling in his pants. “I always heard it said guys got boners when they were hung.”

“You’re thinking of this now?” Bruce asked in disbelief.

“It’s there,” Tony responded impatiently.

“I’ve got the readings,” Bruce said and easily removed the disc from Tony’s neck.

“Aw,” Tony lamented as his penis returned to its normal size. “At least tell me you have some useful information.”

“We’ve got something,” Bruce acknowledged as he transferred the information to the holographic monitor and into the space before them. Tony climbed to his feet and stared at the image in sheer amazement. It was glowing white-hot a layer of pure energy enfolding the device and piercing his neck. 

 

Graccchus Gaius Livy with his Doctore at side walked down the white sand path towards the ludus where his newest and most expensive acquisition waited in a cell for viewing. He was a man of average height with a pleasant and expressive face when in a good mood but quick to turn dangerous and violent when provoked. In this Rome that never died he dressed in flowing white as pristine as winter snow trimmed in gold. Beneath them he wore the short knee length trousers of one who would ride a horse.

“Have you seen him yet?” he asked the older man who dressed in leather and fur and carried a whip.

“Only when he arrived.”

“How did he behave?”

“Watchful and alert. He sized up your men quickly, letting his eyes linger on Crixus and Barca.”

“A predator does not waste his time on sheep unless he means to eat them,” Gracchus responded enthusiastically. “Unlock the gate,” he called to one of the four men following them.

“Yes, dominus,” one the guards answered and rushed forward to unlock the tall white gate that separated the gladiators from the pristine grounds of the estate that overlooked the forever sea.

Gracchus and his trainer passed into the yard that was surrounded by one level buildings where his prizes ate, slept and when the occasion warranted it, fucked women. If they chose to fuck each other he paid it no mind. The new arrivals were always kept in barred cells upon arrival so as to better appraise them, and the Winter Soldier would be treated no differently. “Where is Apollonius?” Gracchus sang out and within seconds a slender youth with shoulder length golden hair scurried out of the shadows and ran to him. “You speak his language. Translate for me.”

“Yes, dominus,” the youth replied while abasing himself.

The cells were located in a building that was lit from a trio of windows that were also barred. Once they might have been a place that kept animals, or they may have always been this way. At the far end one cell bedded with straw was occupied by a single man with shoulder length hair and a short beard. An elaborate collar encircled his throat. The doctore activated a switch on a control device in his hand that kept the other man relatively passive by controlling his body.

Gracchus stepped up to the bars of pure energy and smiled at his beautiful acquisition. “Look at how he glares at us, Antonious,” Gracchus said with a smile on his face. “He knows a hundred ways to kill a man or woman, and right now he could easily kill all of my lower level fighters in one bout, but he needs to be tamed. If we can’t control him he is no more than a wild animal.”

“Yes, dominus,” the Doctore answered.

“We will start by teaching him our language. Boy, come here. I want you to welcome him to my ludus.”

 

Bucky made no attempt to stand with the collar sending numbing signals through his body. He had already tried to pass through the energy bars and had landed flat on his ass for his attempt at escape. A naked young man without a collar stood beside the Caesar wannabe and listened intently to him speak. 

He finally turned to Bucky and said, “The dominus is pleased you arrived in excellent condition.”

“Tell the dominus he can suck my dick,” Bucky snarled.

“I can not tell him that,” the youth replied while abasing himself.

‘Why not?”

“You are valuable and I will be the one punished.”

“Well we don’t want that,” Bucky replied sharply. “Don’t tell the dominus anything then.”

The youth turned to the dominus and translated Bucky’s words. Whatever he said was not quite a literal translation because the man laughed at the whip man beside him as if it were one great joke. More words were exchanged before the dominus decided it was time to leave. The youth stayed behind.

“Why the fuck are you still here?” Bucky growled angrily as the numbness ebbed away.

“I am to tend to your needs,” the youth answered morosely. “Teach you the language.” 

“How kind of you,” Bucky responded as he climbed to his feet. 

“I will go get you food and drink,” the youth said and disappeared from the building.

Apollonius was not the name he had been born with Minnesota. That name, a pale memory, had been David. He had run away from an abusive stepfather straight into the net of Orion the Hunter, at least that was what they called the creature that hunted men. Making his way into the room where the men ate, he got a bowl of gruel and a cup of wine for the Winter Soldier. Barca took note of this and stopped him.

“Do you serve another now?” he asked curiously.

“Only because I am required to,” the youth answered with lowered his head. Barca claimed him and refused to share, but as masters went, Barca was the kindest. 

Barca smiled reassuringly and said, “Do not let this trouble you. I understand.”

Apollonius sighed gratefully. Taking up the bowl and cup, he hurried back to the ‘stable’ and passed easily through the energy bars that kept the Winter Soldier in. “How did you do that?” the Winter Soldier demanded.

“I do not wear a collar,” Apollonius explained. All gladiators wore collars to control them, but he was so weak as to be controlled with a child’s net. 

“How do I take it off?” the Winter Soldier demanded and grabbed the collar in his hands. Immediately the damning numbness enveloped him. 

“It will kill you if you keep trying,” Apollonius warned him. “No one may harm it.”

The Winter Soldier roared his angered and turned away. Apollonius sat in the straw beside him and placed the food and wine within his reach. “You must eat,” he said. The Winter Soldier did not respond. As minutes turned to an hour, the youth continued to wait. One hour turned to two. He began to worry. “Soldier,” he began and laid what he thought was a comforting hand on the Soldier’s flank, “you must eat and drink.”

Bucky turned over and gazed at the youth with troubled eyes. The last one to touch him seeking comfort and giving it had been Natasha. Was this his new eternity? Howling with rage he lashed out at the youth, striking him with a fist of flesh and blood, knocking him back out of the cell. Roaring his anger, seeing no point in existing, he slammed himself against the wall, seeking to destroy himself.

Apollonius ran out of the ‘stable’ shouting that the Winter Soldier was trying to kill himself. The Doctore, frowning at this news, unfurled his whip. It was time to bring their newest acquisition to heel. Leaving the shade of the building, he motioned for several lesser gladiators to follow him. Men had to be sacrificed to tame a wolf.

News reached the manor house that Antonious was combating the Winter Soldier. Gracchus and his guests and the women of the house ran back to the ludus and up the steps to the covered portico. Before every man in the ludus the Winter Soldier and Antonious were battling, bare skin against energized whip. Merely being kissed by the whip was enough to send exquisite pain coursing through the Soldier’s body, but Antonious was not trying to completely disable him.

Gracchus fell into his chair, his face eager as he watched the Doctore teach the wolf the about the whip. When the wolf got too close he was wounded by the collar, but the rage did not subside until sheer exhaustion took him down. Even then the wolf refused to submit. He simply lay in the dirt, red stripes splashed across his bare skin.

The Doctore who was also breathing hard used his boot to turn the Winter Soldier over on his back. “For the three men you just killed,” he growled ominously there will be punishment.

“Kill me,” the Winter Soldier panted.

The Doctore grinned. “Oh no, you are damned to live,” he laughed, “but I will give thought to your punishment.” To the armed guards who had not been sacrificed, he motioned for them to move him back to his cell. To Apollonius he said, “Tend to his wounds...and secure his hands behind him. Perhaps then he will appreciate kindness.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not abandoning Memories...I am working on it...promise. And yes calling Bucky a wolf came from aurora_ff.


	3. Day two  or is it three?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky's first day training

Bucky lay in the straw without moving for hours. His body stung from the beating but it was not so bad that he couldn’t isolate it from his thoughts, which at the moment were on Steve and Natasha. He knew Natasha would be doing everything she could to find him, but where would she start? Steve would also be looking, but where would he start? Bucky didn’t even know where the fuck he was. 

Apollonius on the doctore’s orders got a basin of clean water and a towel and sat beside the Winter Soldier to cleanse his cuts, but after the Soldier’s violent display Apollonius was afraid of him. Only punishment terrified him more. Dipping the towel into the water he carefully dabbed at a dried stripe of blood on the Soldier’s back.

Bucky was aware of Apollonius but was too tired to do or say anything about it. The fatigue wasn’t so much in his body as his mind. He was tired of thinking. He needed to stop worrying and get on with getting away. Without speaking he allowed the youth to wash him.

“Does it hurt?” Apollonius finally asked.

Bucky rolled on his back and stared at the ceiling for a moment. “It scratches,” he finally answered, although it had hurt like hell while being administered.

“I thought I would die,” Apollonius said and rinsed the towel in the cloudy red water. The Winter Soldier was not as tall as Barca but he was perfectly shaped like Barca. Dabbing a long stripe of red on the Winter Soldier’s right breast, he found himself wondering if he was like Barca in other ways. “Barca is my lover,” he said softly.

“I guessed as much,” Bucky said with a note of indifference in his voice. He didn’t care who anybody slept with; he sure as hell was in no position to judge or damn anybody.

“I sometimes take care of other men,” Apollonius continued.

So that was where this conversation was going. Prison sex, great he was being offered prison sex. “I have a woman I love waiting for me,” Bucky said thoughtfully. “I’m not interested in anyone else.”

“Is that why you got angry when I touched you?”

“Some of it,” he confessed although the reality was, he found himself once more in the hands of others who wanted to control what he thought and did. Better dead than another puppet. 

 

Tony passed the disc to Thor who frowned hard while studying it. “You say this device is what was used to disable our Natasha?”

“It stunned me,” Natasha said, her arms crossed, an angry look on her face. “Something similar was used on James. He fell hard, unable to move.”

Thor held it up to the light but saw nothing unusual about it. Still there was a ‘taste’ about it, something familiar. “I must bring Loki in on this.”

“Loki!” Steve snapped. “How can Loki help us?”

“He is a master of tricks,” Thor reminded them. “Whatever tricks this disc may contain can be held by Loki.” 

“Get him,” Natasha said before the men objected further. “Whatever he wants, I will pay it, if he can get James back.”

 

Did time even exist in this land without night? Bucky was not sure if it did. Freed from his cell, he stood on the hard packed earth of the yard with the other men, most of them giving him a wide berth after seeing him take out two of their own. Barca openly scowled at him, but Bucky was more intrigued by the dark eyed man whose name he learned was Crixus. Both men were out of time according to Apollonius, brought here by the hunter who collected great warriors for the games….and monsters.

Barca walked carefully towards him acting like a man expecting an attack, but Bucky was in no mood to fight Barca over his lover. “How is your language coming?” the taller warrior asked suspiciously.

“Pretty good, actually,” Bucky answered with a touch of sarcasm in his voice. Didn’t want to appear too accommodating. “Turns out I knew some Latin already and just had to remember all the Latin based languages I know…”

“You are making fun of me!” Barca growled.

“It’s possible,” Bucky retorted with a shrug. “What do you want?”

“You’re heart,” Barca snapped, “roasting on a fire.”

And yet for all his bravado, Barca made no move to fulfill his desire. Bucky took note of that. The doctore unfurling his whip entered the compound and motioned for the men to line up. Bucky followed the others and waited for orders. The doctore barked out a command that sent the men into push up position. They were doing calisthenics. The doctore didn’t want his prize animals hurting themselves without being warmed up.

After lunch, which consisted of oatmeal with some meat added, no one will suffer from hypertension or high cholesterol here, the men were divided into two groups. Those who were destined to leave their blood in the dirt were left in the compound; those destined to bring fame and glory to the ludus were taken out of the compound and escorted by armed men to a barn like building to the left of the estate. Without a compass or global positioning satellite, Bucky did not know what was east or west, north or south.

The barn was a holographic shooting range of some kind without live ammunition. Any scenario imaginable could be played out here. Damn! Tony and Thor would love this, except there were more serious repercussions for missing one’s target or losing to the ‘objective’.

Crixus, fighting a creature that Bucky swore was some kind of T-rex, missed one of his shots and was slapped down pretty hard by the holographic tail. If the beast ever got it’s imaginary teeth into him, there would be real blood, but Crixus was a man focused on his target and within an hour had the T-rex ‘killed’. Bucky could not lie and say he was not impressed with the way Crixus moved and fought. 

The doctore motioned for him to enter the ‘arena’. Bucky’s weapon was a pistol with nine shots only. Once he ran out of ammunition, he was on his own with bare hands. His opponent was a creature that made him think of Chthulu for a moment, human sized but with extra appendages and eyes that didn’t belong anywhere near a human sized head. His opponent was also armed with a blade, and their battlefield was a jungle setting. Bucky was pleased to see that even though they were imaginary, he was wearing cammies and boots.

The first thing he did was find himself a place where he could protect his back while keeping an eye on everything in front of him. He needed to understand his opponent, even though not real, before he could kill it. When the thing appeared in front of him, he took aim and fired point blank at its head. Split the damn thing in half, and then he watched in horror as the head healed itself. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! The thing slashed at him with the blade and forced him to move.

At one point the thing wrapped its tentacles around Bucky’s body and drew him near. The pain was sharp and numbing, designed to psychologically defeat him. Bucky was certain he was about to be raped if he didn’t get free fast. 

Nine shots later Bucky realized that shooting the damn thing would not kill it. It was only when he took the creature on hand to hand and got the blade away from him, surprise it felt solid even in his own hand, that he was able to kill it by literally separating the head from the body. The program ceased instantly, and Bucky found himself standing on bare ground with nothing but the collar on. It was ever so slightly embarrassing that killing the thing had given him a hard on. Not a full blown and ready to go hard on, mind you, but he had gotten a thrill out of beating it.

A voice he recognized as Gracchus behind him said, “You see why I paid what I did for him. He gets excited just fighting his enemies.” He turned and found himself being admired like an animal by his new owner and a troop of appreciative ladies. “All the great killers get sexually excited by their kills.”

“Only if we get laid afterwards,” Bucky snorted to himself but was heard by Crixus who chuckled lewdly at the comment while being eyed by a woman in blue. 

“What was that, Winter Soldier?” Gracchus asked curiously with a hint of displeasure in his voice.

“Apologies, Dominus,” Bucky answered before the doctore could unfold his leash, “my last owner believed the same thing.”

“And who was your last owner?” Gracchus asked now with genuine curiosity.

“A man named Pierce.”

“I have never heard of him, “Gracchus confessed. “Must not have been as important as his warrior.”

“He was not,” Bucky agreed and inclined his head. “Once more, my apologies, Dominus.”

This seemed to please Gracchus. “Doctore, I am having some guests over tonight. Clean these men up and have them attend.”

“As you desire, Dominus.” 

Barca looked pleased but Crixus did not. Bucky could only imagine what indignities awaited them at the hands of the party guests. Fuck!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> coming up with interesting opponents is interesting. Rape was not uncommon in the Roman Empire and slaves did not own their own bodies. I am still debating how far to push this.


	4. Loki begins his hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky would rather be dead than here. Loki begins looking for him.

Bucky was not one to ask questions. His philosophy was ‘I’ll find out soon enough’. What he learned was the oddity of his existence. Groomers came in and made sure that the men who would be entering the dominus’ house were clean and shaven, faces and bodies. Their skin was oiled until it glistened and then wiped down to remove excess. Bucky didn’t say anything but he was certain he now knew what a fucking poodle felt like.

A leather harness crossed their breasts and attached to their left arms with a leather pectoral over their left breast. A leather codpiece covered their genitals but that was it. Anyone brave enough to grab ass would have no problems getting a handful of muscular butt. Orders were simple, say nothing, do nothing, look at nothing. If someone touches you, do not react. 

“If anyone asks you to move the arm,” Doctore said as a warning to Bucky, “extend it and do that thing that makes the strange sound…only.” Bucky grunted his answer. “What?”

“Yes, Doctore,” Bucky replied rather dryly. 

 

Gracchus loved the envy he saw in the eyes of two of his guests, Juvenal Marius and Narses Porcius, both connoisseurs of gladiatorial combat. Like vultures they hovered over his latest acquisition, pawing his arm and feeling him up in ways that made Bucky very uncomfortable. Next it was the women laughing pawing him and admiring his attributes which didn’t stay covered for very long. It was humiliating or it would have been if they had not shared the experience with the other men. No one escaped a groping.

“When are you going to fight him?” Marius’ wife asked curiously. "As pretty as he is, I hope it's old trows and hags." 

“I wasn’t going to say anything tonight,” Gracchus answered with a big grin, “but I have a custom match for him next week.” Next week! Bucky’s heart leaped but his face did not reflect the anxiety he suddenly felt. Was that thing he faced this morning his opponent? Gracchus laid a possessive hand on Bucky’s metal shoulder. “This boy has got to start making me money,” he said with a lascivious chuckle. The hand dragged down over his left breast. “I have high hopes for this one. Why he should be even as valuable as Crixus. Isn’t that right, Crixus?”

“As my Dominus believes,” the dark eyed warrior replied without looking away from a spot on the wall. Existance was about survival, and he was a survivor.

A skinny man in blue and white robes paused in front of the warrior and asked, “Is Crixus available tonight?” He ran his hand over the powerful breast and down his belly to his navel.

Gracchus looked back at his guest and said, “Crixus only dominates. I fear he might hurt you. Isn't that right, Crixus?”

"Yes, Dominus."

The man dropped his hand and moved away from Crixus. “Well what about that one?” he asked of Bucky, whose insides recoiled at the thought of being forced to fuck anyone male or female.

“We haven’t had time to ease him into servicing just yet, and I’m afraid he’s still too wild to trust,” Gracchus said, his eyes on his warrior’s face. The muscles might be controllable but the eyes always gave themselves away. The Winter Soldier was merely behaving himself because he wasn’t being threatened. Push him and that control would be lost along with the trust they building with him.

“If you want to be dominated, I recommend Barca. He knows how to be gentle, but if you are looking to dominate, one of my service boys will have to do. Even Barca will not tolerate being dominated by someone weaker than he.” Smiling, his expression purely predatory, Gracchus allowed his hand to become a wee bit intimate, his fingers brushing Bucky’s nipple. “So much training to still be done with this one.”

 

Loki smiled at the assembled men and women. “Oh how I’ve missed you,” he taunted and received a nudge in the back from Thor. He glanced at the assembled people and said, “Someone’s missing.”

 

Tony handed the disc to Loki and asked, “What do you know about this?”

Loki turned it over in his hand and then glanced back at Thor. “You didn’t feel the magic?”

“Magic is not my skill,” Thor reluctantly admitted.  
“True,” Loki agreed with some relish. Looking at Tony but remaining aware of everyone else, he asked, “How did you come by this?”

Natasha stepped forward. “A creature placed it on my neck. A similar one was placed on James’ neck.”

“Interesting,” Loki said and passed it back to Tony. “I have no idea as to whom it belong to.”

“You were our only hope in finding our companion,” Thor said with a frown creasing his face. ‘I fear this was a fool’s chase.”

Loki folded his arms across his chest and tsked Thor for his lack of faith. “I did not say I could not find Natasha’s boy toy, only that I did not know who created that thing.”

“How?” Tony asked sharply.

“You people tend to forget that in addition to chicanery, I am also a god of fire and creation. Why in some cultures I was their first god.”

Thor, having heard this before, growled, “A devoted follower of Braggi.”

“And you’re not?” Loki shot back indignantly. 

“Please!” Natasha interjected passionately. “How can you find James?”

Loki pulled his eyes away from Thor and answered, “If he’s anywhere near fire, I can find him.”

“That could take forever,” Steve remarked with a heavy sigh. The entire universe was made of fire. 

“Not as long as that,” Loki chided him. Fixing his keen eyes on Natasha, he asked, “And what will I receive if I return your lover to you?”

“Anything I am capable of giving you,” she answered quickly. “Nothing others control.” 

“Well spoken, milady,” Thor said. Everyone was learning that one had to be careful when dealing with Loki.

Loki scowled at Thor and then glanced back at Natasha with a smile on his face. “I accept your offer. When do you want me to begin?”

 

Bucky was grateful when they were permitted to return to the compound. The dehumanization had been brutal, and this was only one evening. He could only imagine what it would do to him over time. Instead of returning him to his cell in the new arrival stable, he was permitted to join the other men and even assigned a small cell of his own complete with a bed, if you could call it that. Such an odd mixture of advanced technology and primitive conditions. 

Apollonius showed up to see if he needed anything. Frustrated by the way he had been treated like an animal at Gracchus’ party, Bucky snapped, “I’m not gay!”

The boy looked hurt a moment and then responded, “Neither am I.” Without further comment he ducked his head out of the cell and disappeared. 

Slamming his metal fist against the wall, Bucky collapsed on the bunk but not before the doctore appeared to see what the commotion was about. “You are comfortable?” the man asked and entered the cell, his eyes scanning the chamber to see what damage had been done.

Bucky sat up. “I am fine. Apologies for the noise.”

The doctore was no fool. “You feel yourself mistreated?” he asked coldly. Bucky gave no answer. “Heed my words. If you give the dominus problems, he will teach you in the most brutal means possible who is in control of you. You belong to him and live by his whims.”

“Once more apologies,” Bucky stated with a hard edge to his voice. 

The doctore laughed and shook his head. “You will learn soon enough,” he said and departed the cell.

Bucky fell back on the mattress and threw his arm over his eyes. He didn’t want to fucking learn anything. He wanted to go home, back to Natasha, back to Steve. Fighting down his rage least the doctore return to correct him, he bit his forearm to keep the noises down. He preferred death to this ...again!

 

Loki stood on the glowing white surface of a dead planet staring at s star in perpetual turmoil, its nuclear heart erupting over and over. So much beauty in violence. Solar winds that would cook a mortal ruffled his hair. Quicker than a thought, he moved on.

Buck, Buck, Buck, where the fuck was Buck?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slaves were at the mercy of their masters in Rome. No relationship can truly be called consensual when one is a slave.


	5. first fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky fights his first battle in the arena and meets a mysterious woman.

Bucky looked around the arena at the howling mob in the stands. We who are about to die salute you. He thought of the line from Gladiator, ARE YOU ENTERTAINED? Maximus! Maximus! He was shirtless except for the leather straps and pectoral. Camouflage pants and military boots were his only other attire. A nine millimeter of unknown origins was strapped to his thigh. The only concession to his safety was a pair of sunglasses that allowed him to see his surroundings with crystal clarity. 

Gracchus’ killers were the main event at the end of the day. Send the people home with blood on their minds and names on their lips. Bucky, as the unknown element, would meet his competition first. Only when the sides were introduced did he realize he was facing two of these creatures.

The mob’s blood lust was aroused the moment the creatures moved to entrap the Winter Soldier between them. Knowing his weapon could not permanently hurt them, Bucky ducked and dodged their first charge, his mind racing ahead to his next move. 

The flame rose suddenly surprising the man grilling meat on the street behind the arena in anticipation of crowds wanting to drag home half a cow on their way home. Trying to keep his chops from burning, he didn’t notice the man in the strange clothes appearing behind him.

Loki sniffed at the scent of burning meat and then lifted his eyes to the people screaming in the stands over head. Deciding to give it a look, he changed into appropriate clothes and made his way into the stands. Gladiatorial combat, although it was nothing like he remembered. It took him a moment to realize the bloody man on the holographic battlefield was Bucky. Found you.

The blade sliced through Bucky’s right breast and nipple. The pain was sharp but Bucky’s blood was high and he quickly put the pain aside. Now that he was inside the thing’s safety zone, he grabbed the right blade and fought to take it away, all the while being slashed by its tentacled arms. Blood and sweat poured off his body. The second creature charged, the two blades whirling around its head. Bucky dropped and threw the creature he was wrestling at the second thing. As expected the blades cut the creature in half. Bucky lunged for the dropped one.

He grabbed it and rolled as the second creature bore down on him. It buried its blades in the dirt, the force of its lunge exceeding necessity. Bucky sprang up and split the creature in half. The crowd went crazy. Loki had to admit Natasha’s boyfriend was impressive.

Bucky raised his arms high and roared. He was live! He had won! He had beaten two of them! Honor was now upon the ludus of Gracchus. In a show of just how dangerous he was, two armed men entered the arena and motioned for Bucky to move towards the exit gate. This was all show. Bucky gave the mob what they wanted when he threatened the men with his blade. They carried electrified spears and menaced him with them, but he stood his ground and stared defiantly at them. All for show. 

Finally he threw the blade down and sprinted towards the exit gate with the men chasing after him. All for show. Just before leaving the arena, he turned and put both men on their asses, the crowd went crazy. The two men wisely did not try to sting him with their spears. His emotions were too raw, and they were not allowed to really hurt him. An attack would get them killed.

The doctore was on hand with a trio of men from the ludus. Bucky had been told what to expect, but this was not it. They were leading him to a cell with chains on the wall. They were going to chain him. “What did I do wrong?” he growled angrily as the doctore unfurled his whip.

“This is your reward you prick,” the doctore snarled back at him, a lecherous grin on his face. “You’ve impressed a lady.”

A lady? What the hell was he talking about? Shit! Someone wanted to fuck him covered in blood and sweat? “Bring the bitch on,” he growled back.

The doctore gave him a taste of the whip, an unfurling across his bleeding body. Bucky closed his eyes and writhed in pain. “Play nice, and take your time,” the doctore said as one of the men unbuttoned Bucky’s trousers and yanked them down. He was still swollen with blood lust but a little edging didn’t hurt. “Remember, take your time,” the doctore repeated as he and his men exited the cell. A moment later a beautiful fair-haired women in silk and satin, wearing golden slippers entered the cell. 

She said nothing, and Bucky made no attempt at conversation. This was about sex, conversation not needed. She ran her hand over his metal arm and left breast. He’d been stung but not seriously. She never once looked at his face as she ran her fingers over his damaged right breast and lightly brushed his sliced nipple. He hissed sharply, but that was what she wanted. Blood and sex, pleasure and pain.

Dropping her dress on the ground, getting it dirty with sweat and blood on the floor, she rubbed her pale naked body against his, her full breasts turning red from his blood. The chains allowed him enough movement so he could brace himself against the wall, permitting her an easy mount. Slick with lust, she ground herself against him. This was rutting, nothing remotely human in the act, she took what she wanted, riding him to a bone crunching orgasm, and then, only then, she stayed with him for his orgasm.

Kissing his cheek, she smiled and said, “I see why Natasha wants you back. That was amazing.”

Bucky’s heart leaped in s throat. “Who are you?” he demanded.

“Ssh,” the woman said and placed a finger over his lips. “Let’s not ruin the moment. I’ll see you later.” She grabbed her gown and slipped it on. “Doctore,” she called, “I’m ready to leave.”

Bucky said nothing about his visitor as he was unchained and led back to the medroom. Washed clean by two men and then shown to a room where a medic tended his wounds and glued his sliced breast and nipple, he let his thoughts wander to the strange woman. Who was she?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loki was a shape shifter in myth capable of being true male and true female. He was the mother of at least one nonhuman offspring.


	6. Loki Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> what's the best way to get information from someone?

Bucky awakened in exquisite pain, his left breast and back on fire. He was feverish and knew it, but the male voice that spoke gently to him, telling him to be quiet and sit up was reassuring. Someone was trying to help him. He obeyed the voice and sat up with some help. Forcing his eyes to open and focus, he found himself looking into the face of Crixus.

“Drink this,” the warrior said and handed Bucky a cup of medicinal smelling liquid. “It will bring down your fever and help with the pain.” The light he was using to examine Bucky’s body was something unknown to the Winter Soldier. Setting it on the small table beside him, Crixus opened a jar of salve and dabbed his finger into it. This he applied to every suction mark on Bucky’s battered body. “They didn’t draw the poison out,” Crixus said sounding a lot like this did not surprise him. “Wanted to see how tough you are.”

Crixus and Bucky had sparred against each other but there had never been an attempt at familiarity. Neither man had seen any point in it. Now Crixus was the only one coming to Bucky’s aid. “Thank you.”

“Don’t make an issue out of it,” Crixus said easily. “If they tell me to kill you, I will.” He grinned. Bucky stayed quiet while Crixus kept dabbing the salve on his wounds. “This will drain them and then form a crust. Might want to keep a rag with you. Messy.”

Bucky realized Crixus had an accent that he recognized. “Australian?”

“New Zealand. 75th Kekeno Special Forces.” He smiled. “It’s a play on your SEAL teams.”

“I’ve never heard of it,” Bucky confessed, the drink starting to ease the shaking in his body.”

“Twenty third century.”

“That might explain it,” Bucky said. “Where are we?”

“I do not know. One minute I’m in a bar on Mars and the next minute I’m paralyzed. The rest I suspect you know.”

“What about the others?”

“Barca is what he is, a Carthaginian who had fought in Hamilcar’s army. The others…” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Turn around, let me see your back.” Bucky did not like men touching him, too many bad memories of his captivity with Hydra, but Crixus was nonthreatening. He dabbed the places that needed tending and that was it.

With the drink dulling his senses and lulling him back to sleep, Bucky whispered, “How do you survive this?”

“I do not know,” Crixus admitted. “I do not know.” He screwed the cap on the jar of salve and left it on the table.

 

Loki reappeared in Avengers Tower with good news and bad news. Steve, frowning hard, snapped, “What bad news?”

“I thought you would have wanted the good news first,” Loki remarked curiously. “Very well. I have no idea where he is, and whoever has control of him is fighting him in an arena like a gladiator.”

“And the good news?” Tony asked dryly.

“I found him,” Loki proudly announced, “which is where we segue into the bad. I found him but have no idea where he is.”

Natasha fighting to keep her emotions under control said, “You say they are fighting him?”

“Yes. They put him against two creatures that looked like MY worst nightmare,” Loki replied with relish. “But he survived.” Smiling at Natasha, he said, “And girl, mmmnnn, even chained to a wall he was a fantastic fuck.”

“What did you do?” Steve demanded, his anger growing.

Loki changed his appearance, all downy soft in satin and silk with golden slippers, and said, “I needed to make sure he would be all right.” Waving her neck with a delicate hand, female Loki smiled and said, “He was more than up for the occasion, I assure you.” 

“You fucked him?” Tony asked. Steve glared back at him. “What? It’s a legitimate question.”

Loki frowned at Tony and said, “Technically no. They chained him to a wall and let me play with him. He didn’t know it was me. And is that all you’re interested in? I mean do you want a blow by blow account?”

Natasha had had enough. “Stop it!” she snapped. “Where is he?”

“I don’t know,” Loki replied and returned to his true form. “It’s like ancient Rome but with technology. He battled two creatures within a hologram, using weapons that haven’t been invented yet, except in Star Trek.”

“You watch Star Trek?” Tony asked, surprised by that revelation.

“Tony!” everyone snapped together. 

“All right. All right,” Tony conceded and stepped back.

Steve asked, “Can you get him back?”

“Not the way I came. I looked into it, and I can’t carry him.”

“Then you must go back and find out how he got there,” Steve persisted. “We need to know.”

Loki looked put out by the request until Thor frowned at him. “Very well.” The god of mischief and fire vanished.

“He’s not going right back,” Tony said and tossed some peanuts into his mouth. Steve scowled at him but said nothing, because in all likelihood, Tony was right.

 

Crixus was correct; the sores drained. One of the caretakers helped him shower; there were showers! Why had they used buckets? The hot water hitting his back felt wonderful and soap!

“Do you wish me to wash you further?” the man asked curiously.

Bucky sighed wearily. He was so fucking tired of this. Maybe it would be easier if he just stopped fighting. No, no. “I‘ll finish myself,” he replied and took the soap from the man. “You may leave.”

“Doctore told me to tend to you,” the man replied uncomfortably. “If I leave you unintended, I will be punished.

Bucky turned off the water. “Very well, dry me off.”

The man took a thick gray towel to his body and gently because of his injuries dried Bucky’s chest off. He was carefully dabbing at Bucky’s left breast when the dominus, the doctore and a half dozen men entered the showers. “Isn’t he magnificent?” Gracchus asked rhetorically and motioned for the slave to stand back. “Blood dripping off him, and he still managed to kill the Grax. How do you feel?”

“Well, Dominus.”

A man who might be a medico stepped forward and proceeded to examine Bucky’s wounds, which were mending quickly now that the poison had drained. “Might leave behind some thin scars but nothing more.” Grabbing Bucky’s cock before he could stop him, he asked, “You had sex afterwards?”

Bucky tried to back away but Doctore stopped him. “Let him check you.”

Bucky stopped and fixed his gaze on the doctore while Dr. Bizzaro did a surprisingly thorough examination of his penis and testicles. “Any discomfort?”

“Only you touching me,” Bucky snapped back.

Gracchus laughed, “He’s going to be fine.” 

Bucky sighed with relief when Gracchus and his entourage left. Rejoining the others in the yard, he picked up where he left off with his training. Hell he learned was boredom broken only by visits from horny women and men, a meat market that he avoided. But thinking about Natasha threatened to drive him insane. In a world where sex was the reward, he could have had a lover a dozen times over, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Still, he desired a friend, human contact. Crixus became that friend.

“You know one day we may be required to fight each other,” Crixus told him over a meal of fish stew and flat bread. 

“That’s true,” Bucky agreed with a grin. “I will miss you.”

Crixus laughed and looked up when Apollonius arrived at the table with a concerned expression on his face. “What is wrong?” 

“There is a lady here to see the Winter Soldier,” the youth spoke rapidly, afraid of arousing the Soldier’s anger. Everyone knew the Soldier did not take visitors.

“Send her to Jorge,” Bucky said and dug into his stew. 

“She says you know her; that Natasha sent her.”

Bucky’s head snapped up. “What does this woman look like?”

“She’s blonde….”

“I’ll see her in my cell.”

Bucky abandoned the stew and returned to his cell to wait for the woman. He was about to go look for her when Apollonius showed up with the green hooded woman at his side. He waited for Apollonius to disappear before grabbing the woman’s shoulders and demanding, “Who are you?”

“What, no kiss?” the blonde asked and removed her hood. “Have to put on a good show you know.” She leaned and kissed Bucky before he thought to move back. It wasn’t quite chaste, but it was not one of his better moments. Drawing back, her arms around his neck, she smiled and said, “You can call me Fortuna or Lofn, take your pick.” Looking at the cot, she added, “I think we can chat better lying down, don’t you?”

If anyone happened by the door to his cell, they would expect him to be engaging in sex. With more questions eating at his brain, Bucky climbed on the cot with the now naked full breasted blonde. Throwing her leg over his hip, her arms around his neck, her kisses raining light on his lips, she asked, “I need to know how you got here.”

Reasoning that he was in the company of a benevolent Asgardian, Bucky played along while telling her all that he could remember. When she nibbled at the base of his throat below the control collar, she proved a bit too distracting. “Natasha knows we fucked,” she purred softly. “She doesn’t expect you to be a saint.” Her hand got friendlier. Vulnerable and desperate for affection, he responded to her manipulations. 

Forcing him on his back, she straddled his waist and ran her hands slowly down his breast. His skin was alive with need, her touch inflaming him. “So beautiful,” she purred and mounted him. He shut his eyes and thought about Natasha, his beautiful Natasha, but the Asgardian drew him back to her when she twisted his nipples hard between her fingers. “Pay attention,” she growled softly and slowly fucked him. 

Engulfed by the fire of need, his resistance melted beneath her. “Good boy,’ she purred and laid her hand on his sweat heated belly. “Good boy.” They locked fingers as she rode him harder. Unleashing him she smiled when he exploded within her. He truly was a beautiful animal. “I’ll be back soon,” she said and gathered her dress.

Apollonius showed her back outside and closed the door behind her. Walking away Loki switched back into his true form. Well, one of his true forms; he had many, including a mare and a boar. Variety was a useful tool. Too bad Bucky would probably kill him…or try to kill him…if he ever found out he was fucking LOKI. Now to get back to Avengers Tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when Loki was in female form he was a true female capable of becoming pregnant. He did so in the myth of the magical stallion where he appeared as a mare and gave birth to Odin's eight legged steed.


	7. Adrenalin junky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky gets Crixus to help him kill an aquatic dinosaur, while Loki makes the rounds

Loki arrived back at Avengers Tower and found it fairly quiet. Two in the morning would have that effect on people. Natasha was in her bed asleep, but the moment he breathed she sat up with a weapon in her hand.

“What do you want?” she asked suspiciously.

“I thought you might like a report,” he said and sat at the foot of her bed. “He doesn‘t know it yet, but he is scheduled to fight along with a couple of his friends at the end of the month. Lot of blood and guts.”

“Stop!” she shouted. “Can you rescue him or not?”

“I’m still looking for the creature that captured him. Once I know what it is, I’ll be able to figure out how to get him back. James told me what he knew but it doesn’t make sense even to me. I mean an ocean at the end of time and a sun that always shine.” 

“Why are you here, when you should be solving this problem?” she demanded angrily. 

Loki frowned. “Your boyfriend is surrounded by sex and violence. He thinks I’m a benevolent Asgardian. Poor thing. He tries so hard to be celibate, but he longs for affection. He trains all morning and then the rest of the day is fighting boredom. Games of change or sex.”

“Don’t try to make me jealous. I find no fault with anything that he does to survive.”

“Really? And what about yourself?” Loki asked and changed his appearance into one that Natasha longed to see. She stared at him in shock and dismay until tears clouded her eyes. “This is how he looked the last I saw him,” he explained and ran his hand over the flawed skin, the small fine scars from tentacles that had held him in their embrace pale against his sun browned skin. 

The horror in Natasha’s eyes was palatable. Hardening her face and thoughts, she said, “Get him back and I’ll fuck you.”

“What makes you think that is what I want?”

“Because I’m the only person who has ever bested you.”

 

The Winter Soldier and Crixus walked along the white sand beach that fronted the bay of Lendus, the sunlight dancing off the water and creating a shine on the sand. The shades that covered their eyes filtered out the harsh light, but the oil on their naked bodies was designed to deepen their tans while keeping burns at bay. It was an odd mixture of technology and primitive hedonism.

“Why do people not go swimming?” Bucky asked curiously as he gazed out over the water. 

“There are things in the deeper water,” Crixus answered and stuck his three pronged spear in the wet sand. Bucky carried one as well but left the prongs up. “If you get in the water, it can sense you.”

“It?”

“Yeah, whatever it is.”

Bucky nodded and resumed his walk along the water’s edge while letting his eyes sweep across the small bay. Was it a fish or squid or some kind of aquatic animal? “Have you seen it?”

“No, but Barca has.”

Bucky thought about it. “If it can sense us, it has to be a fish of some kind.”

Crixus grinned. “Are you bored? We can always pick up some women and get laid if you are.”

Bucky looked back over the water. The Asgardian had not visited him for several weeks, and he was beginning to wonder if she was going to return. “You go on then,” he said half to himself. “I’m not up for that kind of company right now.”

Crixus couldn’t believe the Winter Soldier would rather fight then fuck, but then he had heard and read about him as a boy. The deadliest killing machine of the late twentieth and early twenty first century was supposedly more machine than man. Maybe it was true, “If we bring this thing in and we kill it before it kills us, can we then go find some willing women?”

Bucky glanced back at him and grinned. “All right, but I get first pick at any red heads.”

Crixus took a deep breath and stepped into the water with the Winter Soldier. The waves were gentle and lapped harmlessly at their thighs. Bucky reasoned that whatever it was had to sense their warmth in the water or maybe even taste their sweat and skin. To help things along, Bucky slice open his flesh and blood arm with his metal one and dipped it into the water. The salt water burned his arm, but the thin trails of blood wafted towards the deeper water.

“You really want to fight, don’t you?” Crixus asked nervously his eyes searching for shadows in the water farther out. ‘You know there are sharks out there and other big fish that would find you…and me…tasty.” To prove his point a two meter shadow flashed through the water just under the surface.

“A shark,” Bucky said and backed into shallower water. Crixus backed all the way to the sand. Keeping his eyes on the water, Bucky came to the same conclusion as Crixus and retreated to the beach. “So much for sea monsters,” Bucky said and resumed his walk down the beach. 

Even though there were sharks in the bay, the oceanic geese and sea birds went about their business ignoring them. The thing that amazed Bucky about them was the presence of toothed birds among the toothless majority. A small crab raced sideways away from him and disappeared into a hole in the sand. A moment later a small animal that Bucky did not recognize spit out its empty shell. “None of this is natural,” Bucky surmised.

“I guessed that myself,” Crixus concurred. “It has more than it’s fair share of weird.”

Bucky glanced back at him and was about to say something when he spotted women on the high dunes watching them. He recognized one of the women as the domina. “We are being watched.”

“I spotted them earlier. Had hoped they went home.” 

The sea birds suddenly screeched loudly and took off for the distant sea cliffs as a large black shadow glided effortlessly through the water. When it lifted its head from the water Bucky recognized it from National Geographic as an ancient sea monster that once lived on Earth. To make this one more terrifying, it was coming up to the beach.

“I think we need to run,” Crixus suggested as the thing turned its reptilian head towards them.

“It moves like a turtle,” Bucky said as the creature turned towards them.

“It doesn’t have to move fast. It’s big enough to eat both of us at once.”

“Then stay here,” Bucky replied with a grin on his face.

Crixus shook his head. “Great, I’m friends with an adrenalin junky.” Hoisting his spear, Crixus ran after Bucky to take on the ‘thing’.

In deep water the forty foot monster might have been more terrifying, but like a turtle on land it was only formidable if it got its teeth into your body. In the end it was an unsporting kill, although it had taken a good hour to bring the beast down.

Breathing hard Crixus asked, “Can we go get laid now?”

Bucky smiled, hard and grim with no mirth behind it. “Sure, why not?” Then to prove a point to himself, he entered the water to wash off the blood. A couple of small sharks appeared first and then the larger ones. Satisfied that all was clear right now, he climbed out of the water and followed Crixus back into town and the brothel that awaited them there.

Crixus was quite the popular man, but why not, the man was deeply tanned and handsome with black hair and dark eyes. He grinned when he entered the establishment and wrapped his strong arms around a pair of slender blondes. Bucky smiled; it was true opposites attract. Getting a cup of something that resembled really bad beer he took a sip and then glanced around. A nearly naked woman sitting at a table with red hair and a body that reminded him of the woman he loved caught his eye.

“She’s a red head,” Crixus said as he and the blondes paused in their play to get some drinks. “I looked…it’s all the way down.”

Bucky frowned but replied, “Thanks. Nice to know.”

“Go get laid. You promised.” 

So he had. Taking his cup in hand, he went to the table and sat down. “Would you like something to drink?”

“That would be lovely,” the woman replied softly, her voice a sensual purr. After getting the drink, she took a sip, frowned and then said, “You know Bucky, killing that animal was a major fuck up.”

It was her, the Asgardian! “Why is that?” he asked cautiously.

“You belong to Gracchus, and he’s not going to be happy that you endangered his property.” 

“I don’t belong to anyone,” he growled.

“That may be true back in the real world, but here in Never Never Land, you belong to a sociopath who will probably beat the shit out of you for that stunt you pulled. Or rape you. I’ve heard he does that on occasion. ” 

Bucky frowned harder. “I will kill him.”

“Not as long as you wear that cute little choker.”

“Then help me take it off.”

“I’ll see if I can’t find who has the master control…I suspect it’s in Gracchus’ possession. I’m going to be here awhile so keep your eyes open and don’t do anything stupid. Natasha is very worried about you.”

His face and voice softened. “Natasha?”

“As love sick as ever. So let’s go upstairs before the local gentry get suspicious.”

Loki, playing the perfect whore, led him to one of the back rooms and made him sit on the cot while ‘she’ knelt in front of him. Oral sex was always so easy, just slip it in your mouth and suck until it was good hard. Curious to just how much Natasha had him trained, he pushed Bucky’s limits. Laying him back on the cot Loki hit him with a two front assault. Getting him off was so quick and easy. The deadliest man on Earth was a push over to strong women. Who knew?

Playing the enamored female again, Loki rested ‘her’ head on his thigh when he sat up. “Don’t provoke him,” he cautioned. “Be respectful and remorseful.”

Bucky ran his hand over her hair and asked, “Why are you doing this?”

Loki looked up and sighed. “Because if I don’t find a way to get you back, Thor will hunt me down to the end of time and hold me while your girl friend beats the shit out of me.” 

There was something in the way the Asgardian spoke that was troubling to Bucky, but he was not that curious. Especially when she took his cock back into her mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the animal mentioned was a real creature....can not remember his name but he was real


	8. Sex Blood and Violence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> there can only be one alpha wolf in a pack. Bucky means to be it

Bucky decided at the end of the day, he just didn’t give a fuck. If Gracchus wanted to fuck with him, he would fuck back. Plus it was time for him to start helping himself and not let this Asgardian who popped in and out of his life without rhyme or reason to call the shots. Desiring a hot shower after returning to the ludus, he visibly dared anyone to mess with him. Respect was given when they saw he meant to take it if not offered freely. Only Crixus dared to invade his privacy, but then Crixus was the closest thing he had to a friend.

“The Doctore has sent word down that we are wanted at the villa,” Crixus said and turned on one of the other showers.

Bucky, rinsing the soap off his lean body, thought about it a moment and then asked, “Can he attack both of us with his whip or one at a time?”

Crixus, lathered up from the top of his head to his crotch, paused in thought. “I have never seen him try to control or punish two with his whip,” he finally said. “Why?”

“I’m going to kill the Doctore,” Bucky answered matter of factly. Smiling at his own wicked plan, he turned to face Crixus and asked, “What kind of man is Gracchus? Top or bottom?”

“I don’t follow you,” Crixus answered, confusion racing across his handsome face. 

“Does Gracchus ever play with the boys?” Bucky repeated in simpler terms. “Is he a fucker of a fuckee?”

“I don’t know,” Crixus answered uncomfortably. “Why?”

“Because I mean to get us out of here, but only Gracchus knows how we got here.” Turning off the water, he lifted his head and barked, “Barca! May we see you a moment?” 

The Carthaginian entered the shower room and permitted himself a good look at the two other men. He was not so foolish as to presume anything, but if they were going to offer him a clear view of their beauty, he was going to take it. “What do you need?” he asked and sat on one of the benches. 

“Have you ever fucked Gracchus?” Bucky asked right to the point.

“Yes.”

“Is he a top or bottom.” Seeing the confusion, he repeated, “Do you ride him or does he ride you?”

“He likes to think he is the horseman, but he prefers being the pony,” Barca answered with a cynical smile. “You looking for a saddle?”   
Barca did not have time to react. The Winter Soldier had him around the throat with his metal arm, his breath hot in the Carthaginian’s ear. “No one saddles me,” Bucky growled softly and licked Barca’s ear. The Carthaginian shuddered and closed his eyes as a strange desire burned in his belly. Grabbing a fistful of dark hair and pulling his head back, Bucky hissed, “I am the big dog in this dungeon, understood?” Barca nodded. “Good. If you’re real good, I’ll let you suck me off while you pet watches.”

“You would shame me?” Barca growled back.

“Good point,” Bucky said. “Where is you pet? He can suck me off while you watch.”

Crixus understood exactly what was going. Barca went to get his pet, while the Winter Soldier sat on the bench to wait. “You don’t like boys,” the New Zealander finally ventured.

“It’s survival and going home,” Bucky said with a touch of weariness in his voice. When Barca returned to the showers with Apollonius, he pointed at his flaccid cock and said, “Suck.” Apollonius got on his knees between Bucky’s thighs and almost lovingly hefted his penis between his hands. This was not Natasha playfully giving him a blowjob while he ate her pussy…this was domination sex. Bucky kept his eyes on Barca. The Carthaginian was going to fuck the shit out of his boy later, but right now from the lust in his eyes, he was acknowledging a new alpha in the ludus.

Bucky leaned back against the wall, never breaking eye contact with Barca. Apollonius was almost as good as Natasha. He knew how to use his tongue, running it over the sensitive glans and down the length to gently take each testicle into his mouth. Barca’s cock was huge, but he didn’t dare join the action

Crixus just watched. Bucky was getting close. The Winter Soldier rolled his left nipple between his fingers a second before the fire flashed across his face. Grabbing the boy’s head between his hands, he came hard in his mouth. The boy swallowed down every drop without losing any of it. Bucky didn’t move for several minutes while the boy finished off his cock with long licks.

“Enough,” Bucky said and stood up. To Barca he said, “Your boy is good. Enjoy him.”  
He and Crixus left the showers to Barca and Apollonius. There was food and fresh clothes waiting for them. 

 

Bucky was pretty sure that Steve would be disappointed in him taking advantage of the boy the way he had, but the Winter Soldier had done things to marks on orders from Russia or Hydra that would horrify Capt. America right down to his custom made boots. Steve never had to compromise his beliefs in order to wake up another day. Bucky was now going to compromise everything inside of him in order to get home, back to Natasha and Steve.

Technically it was nightfall when the Doctore showed up, whip in hand to take Bucky and Crixus up to the villa. The domina was having a dinner party and the guests wanted to see the men who had killed the sea monster up close and personal. Facing the whip once out of the ludus, Bucky turned on the Doctore and attacked him. The pain was mind numbing but this had to be done. Crixus attacked the Doctore from the rear, beating him down until he laid bloody in the sand. The man was dazed and confused, but he realized too late what was going to happen. Bucky, his perfect body bearing the bloody stripes of the Doctore’s whip knelt behind the Doctore and picked him up just enough to get his arm around the other man’s neck. A quick clean snap and the Doctore was dead. He loved the feel of bones snapping beneath his arms. Second only to sex. 

Lost in thought and pain, Bucky ran his thumb over his bloody right nipple. It burned straight down to his cock. Sucking his own blood off his thumb, he smiled. It’s easier for a civilized man to act insane than for an insane one to act normal. At least he hoped he was acting. Picking up the whip, he smiled at Crixus and indicated they were going to continue to the villa.

Naturally the sight of Gracchus’ expensive pet bloody and carrying the Doctore’s whip sent a ripple of fear through the guests…that and lust. “What have we here?” Gracchus asked curiously when Bucky dropped the whip at the dominus’ feet.

“He beat me so I killed him,” Bucky answered dryly. 

A moment of shock and then Gracchus said, “Come closer.” His beautiful pet’s muscles hard and polished, sweat blood. Without a second thought he rested his hand on Bucky’s firm lean belly. “Why did he beat you?” Gracchus asked and moved his hand possessively over his pet’s exquisite body. He reminded Bucky of Alexander Pierce, so loving and prideful.

“I told him I was going to kill him,” Bucky answered without remorse. Gracchus’ fingers lingered over his damaged nipple. His body, sensitized by the modifications that Zola desired, clinched low down. It mean nothing to Bucky, no more than the smell of food cooking made him a chef.

“You did?” Gracchus asked in amazement. “Why?”

“You can only have one pack leader, and that is me,” Bucky replied grimly. 

“Really?” Gracchus asked. “Perhaps we need to discuss this more in private.”

“Perhaps we need to,” Bucky agreed with an evil smile. Only Crixus recognized Bucky’s smile and intentions behind it. Gracchus was thinking puppy when in reality he was taking a full grown wolf into his private quarters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bucky has to start thinking for himself and control as much of the situation as he can

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote an account on the death of Crassus fifteen years ago for a historical piece on horses....let's see how far we can go borrowing from history.
> 
> Oh, Memories is still being worked on....it's my OCD


End file.
